Complaint: Ex-nursing home worker stole from residents

HIBBING – A St. Louis County nursing home worker has been charged with stealing jewelry from residents, including a ring that she allegedly took from the hand of a woman who was awake.

Terri K. Stephens, of Nashwauk, was charged last week with theft and financial exploitation. She no longer works at the Guardian Angels Health & Rehabilitation Center, the Hibbing Daily Tribune reported Saturday.

A home telephone listing for the 53-year-old Nashwauk couldn't be found Sunday, and it wasn't clear if she had a lawyer.

Prosecutors say residents at the center reported that gold jewelry had disappeared from their rooms. Police contacted a local pawn shop, which confirmed that it had bought some of the jewelry.

Stephens told investigators she had taken gold jewelry from residents and pawned it for cash, the criminal complaint alleges. She said she removed a ring from one woman's hand and replaced it with "a junk ring from her own home," the complaint said.

Guardian Angels spokesman Geoffrey Ryan said he hadn't spoken to the residents since they reclaimed their stolen items.

The total value of the items was estimated at more than $1,000, in part because some pieces were family heirlooms dating back almost 100 years, the complaint said.

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